Stereo wireless audio beltpack recommendations please...
- Thread starter joden
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For pro or amateur use? For pro use, look at nothing under $1000us as a START.
For amateur use, Getaria makes (made?) a stereo unit, I really enjoy using it.
For amateur use, Getaria makes (made?) a stereo unit, I really enjoy using it.
Thanks. Yeah for stage work. I was thinking of just using two of those ones that are direct into the jack transmitter/receiver units. A bit like https://xvive.com/audio/product/u2-guitar-wireless-system/ or https://en-us.sennheiser.com/xsw-d-instrument-base-set . There seems to be enough room on the jack spacing on the FR 4 to fit them. Although without seeing them physically, that's a guess.
davidplaysaccordion
Active member
You can always use a short extension cable. I play the sound from my bk7m through the Fr4x speakers. I use a getaria gws28 transmitter on the bk7m using short splitter cable to combine the two outputs. On the accordion I use a short mini stereo extension cable to connect to the gws28 receiver which is velcroed to one of the straps.
I’ve also plugged in another gws28 into one of the accordions outputs and sent the combined accordion and bk7m audio into a pa via the matching receiver.
I like the gws28 because it has a mini stereo connector but also comes with a screw on 1/4 inch mono adapter. I guess you could probably get a steroe adapter for it as well or use a mini to 1/4 inch stereo adapter cable.
Anyway, the upshot is that they work quite well for the price although I have not really pushed them. My setup does rely on the fact the 4x has an audio input which I don’t think the other v accordions have.
I’ve also plugged in another gws28 into one of the accordions outputs and sent the combined accordion and bk7m audio into a pa via the matching receiver.
I like the gws28 because it has a mini stereo connector but also comes with a screw on 1/4 inch mono adapter. I guess you could probably get a steroe adapter for it as well or use a mini to 1/4 inch stereo adapter cable.
Anyway, the upshot is that they work quite well for the price although I have not really pushed them. My setup does rely on the fact the 4x has an audio input which I don’t think the other v accordions have.
davidplaysaccordion
Active member
I’m sort of blessed or maybe cursed with hearing that thinks AM radio sounds fine which may color my judgement somewhat!
the guitar options suit the accordion just fine, typical consumer ADC's are good enough these days. But for pro live use you might consider ditching the 2.4ghz options, I use either the normal Mhz or one particular 5.8Ghz system that I trust (Stageclix). 2.4ghz is hit or miss because of overlap
Ventura
Been here for ages!
each country has their own spectrum specifcations, which have changed
greatly in modern times (making many older frequencies obsolete
and in fact illegal to continue using)
regarding guitar style plug transmitters, the FR bodies are quite fragile
in many respects, and having a transmitter sticking out the bottom of
your grill will eventually cause a problem
i made right angle short extensions which i velcro in a more
convenient place on the grille, and into which i can pop a small transmitter
for nearby use, or a higher powered beltpack type (with
clip replaced with matching Velcro) for a larger venue
early FR7 and FR3 models were a bit too "hot" of an output for some
transmitter inputs.. i do not know if they adjusted that on the FR4
(or have a -10 db switch option in software if needed)
so test thoroughly and listen for distortion
many of the current wireless offerings now have rechargeable batteries
built in instead of AA or 9volt (which you can swap out at need)
and to some of us, the possibility of having to stop and recharge
during a gig is unacceptable
some wireless have been available for awhile now which work digitally,
converting your input in a DAC circuit, transmitting as DATA, then converting it back
to analog for the Mixer/Amp to use. These are completely immune to noise
interference, and there is virtually no lag in the ones i have used
greatly in modern times (making many older frequencies obsolete
and in fact illegal to continue using)
regarding guitar style plug transmitters, the FR bodies are quite fragile
in many respects, and having a transmitter sticking out the bottom of
your grill will eventually cause a problem
i made right angle short extensions which i velcro in a more
convenient place on the grille, and into which i can pop a small transmitter
for nearby use, or a higher powered beltpack type (with
clip replaced with matching Velcro) for a larger venue
early FR7 and FR3 models were a bit too "hot" of an output for some
transmitter inputs.. i do not know if they adjusted that on the FR4
(or have a -10 db switch option in software if needed)
so test thoroughly and listen for distortion
many of the current wireless offerings now have rechargeable batteries
built in instead of AA or 9volt (which you can swap out at need)
and to some of us, the possibility of having to stop and recharge
during a gig is unacceptable
some wireless have been available for awhile now which work digitally,
converting your input in a DAC circuit, transmitting as DATA, then converting it back
to analog for the Mixer/Amp to use. These are completely immune to noise
interference, and there is virtually no lag in the ones i have used
My one big contention is that if you are doing this AS A PAID PROFESSIONAL, you don't tempt destiny. The last thing you want is something that will cut out randomly. Even ONCE per gig is too much. After a couple of drop outs, and the antics that follow, the people signing your cheques will likely let you go and not rehire you. It's simply not worth it to cheap out.
Anything that is under $100US is strictly home use. Anything between $400-$600 is possible, but you need to do EXTENSIVE testing and have a reliable backup for if/when they do drop out. At around the $1000+ dollar amount, you should be safe (but test anyway!!).
I say should because here is another possible kicker... you need to know that it is a very strong possibility that having 2 of the transmitters on your belt in a dual mono setup at a time could interfere with each other (even a dual Sennheiser $3000 setup) may not likely be the best answer!
Larry (Keybrdman), here has tried 2 good quality transmitters to try out a stereo setup and they basically were so intermittent and interfered with each other that he now plays in MONO from his accordion, but that just works for him and his needs.
All that I said above... before anyone calls me a hypocrite (lol) I am not a musician that gigs professionally much anymore, BUT I did have a paid gig recently and I did use my Getaria wireless stereo transceivers. I first setup my entire stage of equipment and tested with a WIRED setup for about 1 hour and it was 100% working and perfectly reliable, I then simply went wireless on the accordion with these transmitters so that I could see how they worked. The backup plan was to have the wires within 3 feet of me and all I needed to do was unplug the cables from the accordion and plug in the wires and done... 30 second delay on a bad day.
I tested the wireless system not only walking around the stage and from end to end, but off the stage on to the dance area and checked distances, often spinning around 360 degrees slowly to find drop outs while playing. I found the range limitation (less than I thought it would go... I started to lose connectivity with my back away from the stage, at around 50 feet) and mentally marked the distance to not go past. I never had any intentions of playing amongst the dancers because my wireless MIDI has a much lower limitation of about 30 feet.
It was really cool that I was able to start playing off stage, walked on music blaring and got the party started... instant ovation.
That darned battery issue: I knew that there was no way that the Getaria batteries would last the 4 hours I was supposed to play for (I know because at home they start to get low at about the 2-3 hour mark, and I found an answer to that at Walmart for $12 in those displays before the cashes on the way out. I bought 2 external 4000mah USB rechargeable battery packs and tested them out on the transmitters... they would power the transmitter and receiver units an easy (tested!) 12 hours with power to spare. I connected one to the receiver and one to the transmitter velcro'ed both to my accordion strap. They are small, black, cheap and perfectly resolved that issue and again, previous testing proved to me that I could charge AND use the transceivers at the same time (something one should do before hand, right??).
So, I kinda broke my own advice, because the location let me be in a very interference-free zone, I extensively tested the wireless units on location, and most importantly, had a fast and easy backup plan to go to in case I needed to. I also would not do this on a regular basis, my good name is worth more than the risk of losing connectivity in the middle of a song.
Anything that is under $100US is strictly home use. Anything between $400-$600 is possible, but you need to do EXTENSIVE testing and have a reliable backup for if/when they do drop out. At around the $1000+ dollar amount, you should be safe (but test anyway!!).
I say should because here is another possible kicker... you need to know that it is a very strong possibility that having 2 of the transmitters on your belt in a dual mono setup at a time could interfere with each other (even a dual Sennheiser $3000 setup) may not likely be the best answer!
Larry (Keybrdman), here has tried 2 good quality transmitters to try out a stereo setup and they basically were so intermittent and interfered with each other that he now plays in MONO from his accordion, but that just works for him and his needs.
All that I said above... before anyone calls me a hypocrite (lol) I am not a musician that gigs professionally much anymore, BUT I did have a paid gig recently and I did use my Getaria wireless stereo transceivers. I first setup my entire stage of equipment and tested with a WIRED setup for about 1 hour and it was 100% working and perfectly reliable, I then simply went wireless on the accordion with these transmitters so that I could see how they worked. The backup plan was to have the wires within 3 feet of me and all I needed to do was unplug the cables from the accordion and plug in the wires and done... 30 second delay on a bad day.
I tested the wireless system not only walking around the stage and from end to end, but off the stage on to the dance area and checked distances, often spinning around 360 degrees slowly to find drop outs while playing. I found the range limitation (less than I thought it would go... I started to lose connectivity with my back away from the stage, at around 50 feet) and mentally marked the distance to not go past. I never had any intentions of playing amongst the dancers because my wireless MIDI has a much lower limitation of about 30 feet.
It was really cool that I was able to start playing off stage, walked on music blaring and got the party started... instant ovation.
That darned battery issue: I knew that there was no way that the Getaria batteries would last the 4 hours I was supposed to play for (I know because at home they start to get low at about the 2-3 hour mark, and I found an answer to that at Walmart for $12 in those displays before the cashes on the way out. I bought 2 external 4000mah USB rechargeable battery packs and tested them out on the transmitters... they would power the transmitter and receiver units an easy (tested!) 12 hours with power to spare. I connected one to the receiver and one to the transmitter velcro'ed both to my accordion strap. They are small, black, cheap and perfectly resolved that issue and again, previous testing proved to me that I could charge AND use the transceivers at the same time (something one should do before hand, right??).
So, I kinda broke my own advice, because the location let me be in a very interference-free zone, I extensively tested the wireless units on location, and most importantly, had a fast and easy backup plan to go to in case I needed to. I also would not do this on a regular basis, my good name is worth more than the risk of losing connectivity in the middle of a song.
Thanks Jerry - wonderful info there!
@Ventura a lot of them these days you can fold the receiver/transmitter head to 90 degrees from the jack plug, so they will sit flat.
I've read quite a few reviews about the Xvive gear (guitarists mostly) and the comments have all been favorable as far as battery life and reliability goes...a single pair down here is $200.
Yes I think that having two might indeed interact with each other...might just have to get used to a mono feed out. I guess through a PA system it's not going to make a lot of difference haha!
I've got the wireless midi working ok (Widi_Master) with the BK-7m, so just need to sort the audio side of things
@Ventura a lot of them these days you can fold the receiver/transmitter head to 90 degrees from the jack plug, so they will sit flat.
I've read quite a few reviews about the Xvive gear (guitarists mostly) and the comments have all been favorable as far as battery life and reliability goes...a single pair down here is $200.
Yes I think that having two might indeed interact with each other...might just have to get used to a mono feed out. I guess through a PA system it's not going to make a lot of difference haha!
I've got the wireless midi working ok (Widi_Master) with the BK-7m, so just need to sort the audio side of things
Ventura
Been here for ages!
there are a lot of chorusing type fx programmed into the Roland accordions that
pan a degree or several left and right as the sound develops.. more notable with
the leslie simulator on the "drawbars" less noticeable on the natural meusette
simulations and echo but still in there
so wanting to be in Stereo is a worthwhile goal depending on how
far apart your PA speakers are typically placed as well and what sounds you end up
preferring to use
even just using a stereo feed with the left hand hard shelved at 1200 Hertz
plus a low bass boost with zero Reverb and the right hand all sparkly and tons of space
can be a nice way to take advantage of twin wireless
i ended up being more in the "wall of sound" camp unless i was using
an actual by God leslie in the setup, but i do appreciate the desire for stereo
and it's advantages
pan a degree or several left and right as the sound develops.. more notable with
the leslie simulator on the "drawbars" less noticeable on the natural meusette
simulations and echo but still in there
so wanting to be in Stereo is a worthwhile goal depending on how
far apart your PA speakers are typically placed as well and what sounds you end up
preferring to use
even just using a stereo feed with the left hand hard shelved at 1200 Hertz
plus a low bass boost with zero Reverb and the right hand all sparkly and tons of space
can be a nice way to take advantage of twin wireless
i ended up being more in the "wall of sound" camp unless i was using
an actual by God leslie in the setup, but i do appreciate the desire for stereo
and it's advantages
Thanks Ventura - I went with this http://swiffaudio.com/en/product/accessories/304.html listened to some really positive reviews.
I'll see how big it is and maybe order a second one?? If I could find a nice stereo beltpack that I can attach to the front of the FR, without it looking like a "battleship" I'd go that way. However those systems are very expensive.
At this stage it's all still a bit "suck it and see" so I don't want to invest too heavily yet.
I think a lot of the time I'll be accessing the sounds of the BK-7m, so it may end up being a moot issue. Although I am having issues with that too (playing parts on the BK - can play the chords in fine and control the styles) but that is on another thread hahaha!
I'll see how big it is and maybe order a second one?? If I could find a nice stereo beltpack that I can attach to the front of the FR, without it looking like a "battleship" I'd go that way. However those systems are very expensive.
At this stage it's all still a bit "suck it and see" so I don't want to invest too heavily yet.
I think a lot of the time I'll be accessing the sounds of the BK-7m, so it may end up being a moot issue. Although I am having issues with that too (playing parts on the BK - can play the chords in fine and control the styles) but that is on another thread hahaha!
Been playing with this Swiff Audio wi-fi for a few hours, sounds great (even in mono) and been walking around the house...no dropouts and no diminution of signal...I'd estimate furthest I got away from the receiver was about 60 feet.
Simply had transmitter going to the receiver directly into the amp, easy peasy! Be great for instrumental only shows!
Simply had transmitter going to the receiver directly into the amp, easy peasy! Be great for instrumental only shows!
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